Colic in babies: fact vs fiction
Colic is one of those mysteries of having a newborn. Every new parent has probably had a well-meaning relative or stranger ask, “do you think your baby has colic?”, without offering any helpful advice for how, why or what to do!
Colic is a word we throw around a lot… but what does it really mean? Here we separate fact from fiction to help you navigate colic in babies and hopefully make your life a little easier in the process.
Sponsored by Infacol.
What is colic?
Firstly, colic is not your fault.
The fact is, even with all our advances in medical research, we still don’t know what causes colic. Crazy, right?
Colic is often used to explain away general fussiness in babies and the reality is that colic is very common in the first 3-4 months of life. But using it to explain away any irritability isn’t helpful for parents who are dealing with what can be a very stressful condition – for both the parents and the baby.
Colic is more than the witching hour. It doesn’t discriminate between breastfed and bottle-fed babies and is a condition universal to infants everywhere. See, you are in good company!
What causes wind in babies?
Wind and flatulence are a normal part of life – think about your own tummy habits. The problem for babies with colic is that the wind is causing them additional pain which in turn affects the whole family.
Babies can often take in extra air while they are feeding, particularly if they tend to guzzle their milk. If you are breastfeeding, there may also be foods in your diet that are causing the extra gas in your baby – think foods that typically make you gassy and you may have found your culprit.
Colic symptoms
While most babies can have periods of restlessness or irritability, colic in babies is more than this. Some of the common symptoms your baby might be experiencing are:
- continuous crying for no reason, particularly in the late afternoon or evening
- a swollen or bloated stomach
- passing more wind than usual
- drawing their knees to their chest and crying out in pain.
Colic isn’t a serious medical condition. It doesn’t cause vomiting, diarrhoea or high temperatures, no matter what your old neighbour Susan tells you! If your baby has any of these other symptoms, take them off to the doctor for a check-up.
How to treat colic in babies
Treating colic is about relieving trapped wind in babies, but it is also about comforting them through what is a distressing time for them – and looking after yourself at the same time.
What we do know is that when we treat the build-up of trapped wind in a baby’s tummy, using a product like Infacol, the symptoms abate.
To use Infacol for the treatment of colic, give the drops to your baby before each feed, always following the dosage instructions on the package.
There is an ingredient in Infacol called simethicone which helps turn the little air bubbles trapped in your baby’s stomach into a bigger bubble which they can easily expel as gas.
It has a progressive effect and you might not notice much difference after a single dose, but over a few days, you may see improvement in your baby’s symptoms.
One Tell Me Baby community member gave Infacol a 5-star review and says: “We’ve bottle fed since day one and quickly began to have problems with wind. Since we started using Infacol, our wind problems have all but disappeared.”
Another mum rated the results too: “This really helped as it combines all the gas bubbles and brings it up in one hit.”
One of the biggest challenges of colic can be the emotional distress for you and baby. A cuddle might not ease the pain in their tummy, but that skin-to-skin contact can certainly do you both some good.
So, pick them up, gently rub their little tummy and give them a cuddle – you both need it!
